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SB 225
Bill Information Senate Bill 225 Title: AN ACT relating to homelessness prevention. Sponsor: Sen. Brandon Smith Date Introduced: 23 February 2016 Final Resolution: Bill became law without the signature of the governor, as it was not signed within ten days of a dual signature from the Speaker of the House and President of the Senate. What Does It Do? This act offers institutional discharge planning on a voluntary basis to persons exiting state operated prisons, mental health facilities, and foster care. The primary goal of the project is to prepare these vulnerable individuals for return or reentry into the community and to offer information about any necessary linkage of the person to needed community services and supports. These include employment, medical and mental health services, housing, education, social supports and other community-based services, and thereby decreasing the number of persons discharged from state-operated institutions into homelessness. This bill would establish the Kentucky Homeless Prevention Project and expand criteria for voluntary eligibility to the following individuals: 1). With mental illness who are admitted to the hospital emergency department at least 10 times annually 2.) In the top 10% of hospital users in hospitals which over 10% of the patient census are diagnosed with severe mental illness 3.) Who are being paroled 4.) Who age out of foster care for up to two years after exit 5.) Are outside of Oldham County. SB 225 Establishes the Kentucky Interagency Council on Homelessness in order to plan, develop, coordinate, and implement programs for the purpose of improving the well-being of homeless Kentuckians. The council is attached to the Homeless and Housing Coalition of Kentucky for administrative purposes. This bill will provide the services and information needed for those most vulnerable to homelessness. What Are the Politics? Pros: -"We tried a pilot program in ten counties and they had tremendous success with it. They saved a ton of money, people stayed out of prison, they got jobs and the number of homeless individuals sharply declined. They said, ‘well this worked really well’ and because they had solid data from the pilot program, they agreed to take it statewide. This is one of those things that you just believe in, that’s why I wanted to definitely co-sponsor the bill." -Senator Ralph Alvarado -The project has been highly successful in test counties and cost-effective, costing approximately $50,000 per year per service area. -The Homeless and Housing Coalition of Kentucky boasts a 98% success rate for preventing homeless for their clients. -Establishes an interagency council which will work to counteract homeless and improve the well-being of indigent Kentuckians. Provides necessary funding and service agreements to prevent Cons: -This program was originally a test project and thus services were limited to the following counties: Jefferson County, and Clinton, Cumberland, McCreary, and/or Wayne Counties. However, this bill expands the services statewide, critics wonder if the success will translate to the wider and more diverse regions of the Commonwealth. -Increases administrative costs, and further expands Kentucky's bureaucracy. Major Changes During Process -Amendment clarifying that expanded eligibility for the Homelessness Prevention project applies only to those with "serious mental illness, those being released from mental health facilities, those with high utilization rates of the healthcare, mental healthcare, and judicial systems, those being released or paroled from state-operated prisons, and those aging out of foster care" -Additionally, that amendment codifies the establishment of the Kentucky Interagency Council on Homelessness. Media Coverage None Go Back Go Back to Passed Bills